Once upon a time, Steve Jobs was the leader of a company called Apple. Apple was known for being a technology leader, and their latest products were the envy of the industry. Sadly, though, Apple’s sales figures didn’t seem to be able to keep pace with their reputation. The board of directors of Apple, thinking that another style of management might be the way to go, decided that they’d had enough of Steve and handed him his walking papers. The year was 1985.

Steve’s response to the situation was to start another computer company, called NeXT. The Apple Macintosh was supposed to be the “computer for the rest of us” but with NeXT, it seemed Job’s goal was to create the “computer for the best of us“. Largely inspired by his experience with getting the Macintosh into the education market, the NeXT Computer was going to be a powerful workstation designed to meet the needs of the scientific and higher educational community. At the heart of this new computer was going to be NeXTStep, an object-oriented multi-tasking operating system that included tightly integrated development tools to aid users in quickly creating custom applications.

NeXTStep’s Language Of Choice

At the heart of NeXTStep was a fairly new programming language known as Objective C. It was basically an extension of the C language to add Smalltalk-style messaging and other OOP features. Conceptually it’s not too far off from where C++ was at the time, but the syntax is fairly different. However, that simply didn’t matter at the time because most programmers hadn’t done much, if anything, with C++.

In 1985, any sort of object oriented programming was a relatively new thing to most programmers. Modern languages like Java and C# were still years in the future, and C++ was still largely an experiment, with no standard in place and drastic differences from one implementation to the next. In fact, most C++ solutions at the time were based on AT&T’s CFront program, which converted C++ code into standard C code that would then be compiled by a standard compiler. It would be a few years yet before native C++ compilers became commonplace.

There were other OOP languages around, like Smalltalk or Lisp, but they were largely considered acedemic languages, not something you’d use to create shrink-wrapped products.

Since there simply wasn’t any better solution, the choice of Objective C for NeXTStep was completely reasonable at the time.

What Happened NeXT

The first version of NeXTStep was released in Sept. 1989. Over the next few years, the NeXT computer and NeXTStep made a number of headlines and gained a lot of respect in the industry, but failed to become a major player in terms of sales. In late 1996, NeXT had just teamed up with Sun Computer to create a cross-platform version called OpenStep, but before that really took off, something else happened.

In 1996, Apple was floundering. Their stock price was down. They’d had layoffs. They had no clear plan for the future in place, and they were in serious danger of losing their place as the master of the graphic user interface. Microsoft had just released Windows 95, which was a huge leap forward from Windows 3.1 in virtually every way, and PC video cards offering 24-bit and 32-bit color modes had become easily affordable.

Apple CEO Gil Amelio was fairly sure that updating the Mac to use some sort of object-oriented operating system was key to Apple’s future success, but Apple’s internal development had thus far failed to pay off. Likewise Apple’s investment in Taligent, a company formed in partnership with IBM for the sole purpose of developing an object oriented operating system. But then Amelio struck a bargain to purchase NeXT Computer and the NeXTStep operating system, bringing NeXT CEO Steve Jobs back into the fold, first as an advisor and then as CEO several months later when Amelio was shown the door.

It took Apple nearly 4 years to integrate their existing operating system with the NeXTStep tools and libraries, but ultimately NeXTStep formed the basis of the new Macintosh OS X operating system, released in March 2001.

Mac Development Tool History

When the Macintosh was first released in early 1984, you pretty much used either 68000 assembly language or Pascal to create programs. Pascal had always been a popular language with the Apple crowd. Apple had a set of development tools known as the Macintosh Programmer’s Workshop, which was essentially a GUI interface wrapper for a variety of commandline oriented tools, including the 68000 assembler and the Pascal language compiler.

It didn’t take long for the C language became available for the Mac. Apple released a version for MPW, but it really took off with the release of LIGHTSPEED C (later renamed to THINK C), which had a GUI IDE of the sort that would be completely recognizable as such even today, almost 25 years later. Think’s compiler quickly became the defacto standard development environment for the Mac. Support for C++ would be added in 1993 with version 6.0, after the product was acquired by Symantec.

Unfortunately, when Apple made the transition from the Motorola 680×0 processor family to the PowerPC processor in 1994 & 1995, Symantec C/C++ failed to keep pace. It wasn’t until version 8, released in 1997, that their compiler was able to generate native PowerPC code.

Fortunately, a new player in the game appeared to save the day. When Symantec bought out Think, some members of the Think C development team started a new company called Metrowerks. While Symantec was struggling to bring out a PowerPC compiler, Metrowerks released their new CodeWarrior C/C++ environment. In many ways, Codewarrior was like an upgrade to the Symantec product, and it quickly supplanted Symantec among developers. Codewarrior would remain at the top of the heap until Apple released OS X.

The NeXT Development Tool

When Apple released Mac OS X in 2001, there were two big paradigm shifts for developers. The first was that Apple now included their development tools with the operating system, at no additional charge. After nearly two decades of charging premium prices for their tools, this was a big change. Plus, the new XCode environment was an actual IDE, unlike the old Macintosh Programmer’s Workshop environment, with support for Objective C, C, C++, and Java.

The second paradigm shift was that everything you knew about programing the Mac was now old news. You could continue to use an existing C/C++ codebase with the new Carbon libraries providing a bridge to the new OS, but this did not allow you to use the new tools such as the Interface Builder. If you wanted to take full advantage of the new tools Apple and the Cocoa libraries, you needed to use Objective C instead of the familiar C or C++.

Objectionable C

I had been a Mac programmer since getting my first machine in 1986, and when Apple released Mac OS X in 2001, I was fully expecting to continue that tradition. However, while I had no problems whatsoever with the idea of learning a new set of API calls, or learning new tools, I saw no good reason why it should be necessary to learn a new programming language. Still, at one time in my younger days I had enjoyed experimenting with different programming languages, so I figured why not give Objective C a try?

Upon doing so, my first thought was, this was an UGLY language. My second thought was, why did they change certain bits of syntax around for no good reason? There were things where the old-style C syntax would have gotten the job done, but they changed it anyway. The third thing that occurred to me was that this was a REALLY UGLY language.

After a few brief experiments, I pretty much stopped playing around with Cocoa and Objective C. I started playing around with Carbon. My first project was to rebuild an old project done in C++. But the first thing I ran into was frustration that I couldn’t use the new tools like the Interface Builder. It wasn’t too long before I decided I wasn’t getting paid enough to deal with all this BS. Objective C had sucked all the fun out of Mac programming for me.

The shift to Objective C marked the end of Macintosh development for many other programmers I’ve talked to as well. One can only conclude from their actions that Apple simply doesn’t care… if one programmer drops the platform, another will come around. I’m sure there are plenty of other programmers around who either like Objective C just fine or who simply don’t care one way or the other.

As far as I’m concerned, Objective C is an ugly language, an ugly failed experiment that simply has no place in the world today. It offers nothing substantial that we can’t get from other languages like C++, C#, or Java. Nothing, that is, except for access to Apple’s tools and libraries.

Some Mac developers would tell you that the Cocoa libraries depend on some of Objective C’s capabilities like late-binding, delegates (as implemented in Cocoa), and the target-action pattern. My response is that these people are confusing cause and effect. The Cocoa libraries depend on those Objective C features because that was the best way to implement things with that language. However, I have no doubt whatsoever that if Apple wanted to have a C++ version of the Cocoa library, they could figure out a way to get things done without those Objective C features.

A Second Look

A few years later when I got my first Intel-based Mac, I decided to revisit the development tools. I wrote a few simple programs. I’d heard a few people express the opinion that Objective C was sort of like the Ugly Duckling… as I used it more and became familiar with it, it would grow into a beautful swan. Nope. Uh-uh. Wrong. No matter what I did, no matter what I do, Objective C remains just as frickin’ ugly as it was when I started.

I really wanted not to hate Objective C with a fiery vengeance that burned from the bottom of my soul, but what are ya gonna do? Personally, I’m looking into alternatives like using C# with the Mono libraries. No matter how non-standard these alternatives are, they can’t be any more icky than using Objective C.

Could It Be That Apple Doesn’t Care About Making Life Easier For Developers?

The real question here is why the hell hasn’t Apple created a C++ version of the Cocoa library? It’s been 12 years since Apple bought out NeXT. Why hasn’t Apple made an effort in all that time to adapt the NeXTStep tools to use C++? Or other modern languages like C#? Microsoft may have invented the C# language, but even the Linux crowd has adopted it for gosh sakes!

Or why not annoy Sun and make a native-code version of Java with native Apple libraries?

Could it be they are trying to avoid the embarrassment that would occur when developers abandon Objective C en-masse as soon as there is a reasonable replacement?

Does Apple think developers are happy with Objective C? Personally, I’ve yet to find a single programmer who actually even likes the language. The only argument I’ve ever heard anybody put forth for using it has always been that it was necessary because it was the only choice that Apple offered. I know that’s the only reason I use it.

Why does Apple continue to insist on inflicting Objectionable C on us? I can only come to the conclusion that Apple simply doesn’t care if developers would rather use some other language. It’s their way, or the highway.

Anybody who’s followed Apple for any length of time probably has a laundry list of things they wish Apple would do, or of things they think Apple should do, or things that they can’t understand why Apple hasn’t done already. Here’s a few things on my own such list.

Sell OS X Separately From The Mac Hardware

One of the long-time questions is why doesn’t Apple they sell a version of Mac OS X that could be installed on standard PC hardware? There are a lot of answers.

If the Mac OS X could easily be installed on just any PC machine, it would be heavily pirated. Right now, there’s not too much of that going on because you need to jump through a lot of hoops to install the OS onto non-Mac hardware. In effect, it’s like the Macintosh hardware is a big copy protection dongle for the Mac operating system. Keep in mind that the Mac hardware is fairly profitable for Apple. Selling the operating system by itself would certainly cut into Apple’s hardware sales, but with piracy to consider, there’s no certainty that it would generate enough profit to make up the difference.

Another factor is that currently Apple doesn’t have to worry about supporting twenty eight different motherboard chipsets and near-infinite numbers of combinations of chipset, video card, hard disk controller, network adapter, etc. They have a relatively small number of hardware combinations to deal with, which makes it much easier to do testing and debugging and to create a stable crash-free system. In theory, anyway. Of course, the Mac does still crash from time to time, but it’s much less likely to do so because of some goofy bug in a hardware driver.

If Apple did sell their OS separately, it would have to include a much wider range of hardware drivers than it does now. It would also need a lot more quality control testing to make sure that everything works properly. This would be a significant expense, so Apple would need to be convinced they could sell enough copies to cover the additional costs.

One option Apple might consider is having some sort of “Macintosh Certified Hardware” program where only certain combinations of hardware will be supported. If they limited official support to fairly recent hardware, it would make their task much easier.

Ironically, the current bad economy is probably a good thing for those wanting Apple to to sell the OS separately from the hardware. Apple has been doing fairly well for the past few years, but you have to think that the downturn in the economy is going to have some impact on Mac hardware sales. People just aren’t going to have as much money to spend and a lot of them will turn to less expensive computers instead of the Mac. With that in mind, I suspect that there will come a day when Apple will decide to sell the Mac OS separately. But it might be a few more years down the road.

Make An Apple-Brand Netbook

In Apple’s own mind I’m pretty sure they think they’ve already created an Apple-brand netbook in the MacBook Air. Think about it for a minute… Take a look at the MacBook Air and then at one of the popular PC netbooks like the Asus Aspire One or the Acer EeePC. How much of a difference is there, really, in the hardware? It really comes down to four areas. The main processor, the screen size, the size of the keyboard, and the graphics processor.

The entry level MacBook Air has a 1.6ghz Core 2 Duo processor while most netbooks are running a single-core Atom processor running at 1.6 to 1.8ghz. The dual-core processor offers a lot more performance but is more expensive and chews up more battery life. Other than that the main difference is size. There might be a few other changes to the hardware to bring the cost down a bit, but mainly if Apple made the display and keyboard smaller, they’d have the netbook everybody is asking for.

The MacBook Air also has an NVIDIA graphics processor instead of something cheaper. I don’t think this should add tremendously to the cost of producing the machine, compared to alternatives, so my preference would be to keep the NVIDIA GPU. However, if necessary, this is one area where costs could be reduced a bit.

Let’s say Apple were to make a new machine in the netbook category and price it at $599. That’s a fair bit higher than your basic PC netbooks, but it’s far cheaper than any portable Mac has been to date. Frankly, does anybody think Apple would come out with a netbook at the same price as the PC models? The first thing that machine would do is completely kill the market for the MacBook Air. Why would you pay $1800 for an MacBook Air when $600 would get you practically the same machine with just a slightly smaller screen?

One big problem with this scenario is that a $600 Apple netbook would make it very hard to argue against the idea that Apple’s hardware is overpriced. Aside from the fact that other netbooks would still be $200+ cheaper, such a machine would also fuel the question of why Apple’s other laptops are that much more expensive.

Don’t get me wrong… I would absolutely love to see a little Apple netbook. I’ve considered trying to install OS X onto an Asus Aspire One or something like that, but just haven’t gotten around to trying it quite yet. But I think the only way that Apple would release such a machine would be as part of a larger change in strategy. Perhaps they could release it as a second generation, much cheaper MacBook Air, for example. Taking the first generation model off the market would eliminate the price comparison.

One thing that I would like to see Apple do if they enter the netbook market is to include a 3G cellular phone/modem in the machine. This would help to differentiate their offering from the other netbooks on the market. One of the big mysteries of the MacBook Air has always been why Apple didn’t include a 3G modem.

App Store For Mac

Given the overwhelming success of the iTunes App Store for the iPhone, one can’t help but wonder why Apple hasn’t tried to setup something along the same lines for the Macintosh computer. The idea has been tossed around enough times in the media that it’s inconceivable that it hasn’t been discussed a few times in Apple HQ conference rooms, but so far there’s been no hint that they play to make a move in this area.

It’s become common place for software publishers to allow you to buy their product online from their website, and then download the product to your computer. This works fine in most cases, provided you’re looking for a certain specific title. But what about those times when your search isn’t that specific? Doing searches on Google simply isn’t going to offer the same sort of optimized and streamlined shopping experience that iTunes and the iPhone App Store offers. With that and the success of the IPhone App Store in mind, one has to think that the time is ripe for a Mac-based App Store.

Of course, there are big important differences between the iPhone platform and the Mac platform that affect how things would work. First and foremost, with the iPhone there is no other (official) way of getting software onto the machine other than via the App Store. This gives Apple total control over what gets onto the phone, unless you’re one of those outlaws who have jailbroken your iPhone. (“Jailbreaking” is the process of modifying your iPhone so that you can install software via other means than the App Store. It’s against Apple’s license agreement.)

So, the first issue to be answered about a Mac App Store is whether or not the applications have to be approved by Apple before they’re offered for sale. Even though the Mac App Store wouldn’t be the only means of distributing software like it is for the iPhone, it would very likely become one of the main channels. Being rejected for it could have a big impact on an app’s sales.

Quite a lot of the iPhone apps that do not get approved for the App Store are rejected because they’re doing something that would cause conflict with Apple’s relationship with the cellular phone service providers like AT&T. For example, there are apps that turn your iPhone into a wireless access point to which other devices can connect to get Internet access. This is known as “tethering”. Apple hasn’t allowed this with the iPhone so far because the amount of data bandwidth such a setup typically uses is far beyond what is normally consumed by non-tethered Internet access.

Other iPhone software gets rejected for the App Store because it could potentially provide a backdoor into the system. For example, Apple has stated a few times that Flash isn’t available on the iPhone because they’re unhappy with the performance they’ve seen. However, one of the fundamental abilities of Flash is the ability to download and run other Flash movies and access the internet. Given the full spectrum of abilities normally available through Flash, it would be child’s play to create another means of installing applications on the system. The same is true for Java. Therefore it’s not hard to imagine that those issues are a factor, regardless of what reasons Apple may cite publically.

Neither of these situations apply to the Macintosh computer, however. The Macintosh computer is an open system and always has been. So I would imagine that developers would have much fewer worries regarding rejection for a Mac App Store than they do for the iPhone App Store. Apple might want to impose restrictions on things like adult content, but that’s the main thing that comes to mind.

The iPhone App Store offers developers a 70/30 split of the sale price of an application. That is, Apple keeps 30% and the developer keeps 70%. Apple incurs all of the expenses involving in processing the purchases. For the prices that a typical iPhone app goes for, that’s not a bad deal for either side. However, given that computer software can be somewhat more expensive, I think Apple would have to offer a more favorable split to developers, at least for the higher priced stuff. Maybe it would be 70/30 at the low end for the software that is under $30 and 90/10 for software that is $500 or more, with varying intermediate tiers.

For developers whose products are currently sold at retail this is probably a better deal than they get selling wholesale to dealers or distributors. For developers whose products are currently sold mainly through their own websites, it’s a bit less, but it’s likely that increased sales volume would make up the difference.

There would be a lot of big advantages to having a Mac App Store. For one thing, it would provide a much more effective channel for low priced software than anything we have now. Looking for a $10 game for your Mac? There are plenty of them out there… your job: find them. Currently you’ve got to go browse and search the web somewhat haphazardly. But with a Mac App Store, all you’d have to do is run iTunes and click the mouse a few times.

There are literally thousands of cute little apps for the iPhone that could just as easily be done for the Mac, but which don’t make sense for developers to do without something like the App Store in place to help market them. Or which end up being priced at $19.99 when sold through the publisher’s own website simply because of the low sales volume. A Mac-based App Store could create an entirely new niche market for small $5.00 and under applets.

The downside to the whole idea is that it could hurt Mac dealers. They would likely have to cut prices on Mac software in order to give customers a reason to buy software in the store rather than online. This might shift some sales from the Apple retail stores to the Mac App Store, but Apple would likely be getting a bigger profit off the latter so they wouldn’t be hurting themselves. As for retail outlets other than the Apple Store, it’s hard to say if Apple would care one way or the other.

You know, the more I think about this one, the more I’m leaning towards the idea that it’s something that Apple very well might do sometime soon. There doesn’t seem to be any big reason why they shouldn’t do it, and lots of reasons why they should.